Thomson

It’s a heck of a way to run a pre-election campaign. On the eve of an expected election, politicians usually spend their time playing up good news, downplaying the bad, shaking hands and kissing babies.

Apprentice crate operator Rene Jones is learning on the job at Mammoet Canada Western in northeast Edmonton on Dec. 11, 2012.

Photograph by: Ian Stewart
, Edmonton Journal

EDMONTON - Crane operating may seem like a natural fit for Kolby Nepoose, whose father and stepfather are also crane operators, but her career path to the trades was not quite so direct.

Nepoose was working at a financial services company and felt like she was in rut.

“It seemed like it was going nowhere, and I just was not making enough money to support my daughter and myself,” said the 26-year-old.

She discussed the situation with her parents and her father, who had trained an employee involved with the Women Building Futures program, suggested Nepoose check it out.

Women Building Futures (WBF) is a not-for-profit organization providing pre-apprenticeship training to introduce women to the trades. More than 600 women have graduated into careers such as millwrights, pipefitters, electricians, carpenters and welders since the program began in 1998.

Nepoose enrolled in WBF and is now in the first year of a three-year crane operator apprenticeship program. She attends the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, and works at Mammoet Canada, a company that builds and operates heavy lift and transport equipment.

Rene Jones, 23, another WBF graduate and crane operator apprentice, said she entered the trades because she saw the success of many family members who had done the same.

Now Jones and Nepoose are gaining experience at Mammoet and working toward a journeyperson’s ticket.

“It’s awesome. Kolby and I are on the same crew, so we can both learn from each other,” Jones said.

Nepoose and Jones say working in a male-dominated field has its ups and downs, but add that it helps to have each other’s support and the support of co-workers.

“Our crew is pretty good and our boss is wicked. He’s very supportive. If I have to take time to go and do anything with my daughter, he’s OK with that,” Nepoose said.

There were 37 women apprentices registered in Alberta as crane operators as of Dec. 31, 2011, out of a total of 2,398 apprentices registered in the trade. The total number of women apprenticing in all trades was 5,092, compared to more than 51,000 men registered as apprentices.

While WBF aims to attract women to the trades and prepare them to work in predominantly male work environments, another part of the organization’s mandate is to help industry recruit and retain tradeswomen.

WBF president and CEO JudyLynn Archer said the organization helped develop a guide for best practices for hiring and retaining tradeswomen after the Construction Owners Association of Alberta approached WBF a few years ago.

“They said is there something industry should be doing to contribute to the overall effort, to make it attractive to women, so they would want to work in industry and stay working in industry?” she said.

Larry Staples, an adviser with the Construction Owners Association of Alberta, said it’s obvious women are under-represented in the construction trades, and the association felt the guide was one way to address that. Women make up about four to six per cent of the construction workforce.

“If this issue comes up, not just among our member companies, but by other contractors and other suppliers in the industry, there’s a ready reference here. We can point them to this best practice guide and say, ‘If you want to know what steps you can take as a company, here it is,’ ” Staples said.

The guide is used in WBF workshops for people who hire, supervise or work directly with tradeswomen. The guide addresses a variety of topics, from differing communication styles to personal protection equipment, which is often too large for women.

“This is not rocket science, but I think it’s fair to say there is a difference in our genders. When you have one gender that is predominant, there are challenges that the other group is probably going to experience,” Archer said.

The workshops have been delivered upon request, but Archer said WBF will be scheduling workshops starting in 2013.

Educating industry will benefit young women just starting out in the trades, including 17-year-old Alysa Desjardine. The Grade 12 student at Edmonton’s Queen Elizabeth High School is enrolled in the Registered Apprenticeship Program planning to become a cabinetmaker.

Desjardine said being one of the few girls in classes and on the job site hasn’t stopped her from pursing something she is passionate about.

“I’ve been in construction classes for the past five years throughout school, so I’m used to being around guys,” Desjardine said.

“I would say to other girls, go with something you like. It doesn’t matter what it is, just go for it. If it turns out you don’t like it, at least you tried.”

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.